광기의 날들 ‒ 1920년대 프랑스 문화 흐름에 관한 고찰 ‒

Abstract

From the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, more precisely, at the peak of 1900 when the World Exposition was held, the French defined it as ＜Belle Époque＞, the term for happiness. When was the happiest time? If we look at French society at that time, the definition is indeed ironic. Although the quality of life of the people has gradually improved due to the industrialization, it was France that was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War. France had to pay huge war reparations to Germany, and at the eastern end, Alsace Lorraine became a German territory. Nonetheless, the French regarded the year 1871 as a starting point of a ‘happy period’. Due to the Industrial Revolution, Paris began to take shape in large cities with the influx of large numbers of people, and the French, who had begun to make economic leaps, wanted to show their ability to the world beyond the pains of defeat. And at the very peak, France held the World Expo. At the 1900’s World Expo, which had a total audience of 50 million people, numerous machines, inventions, and buildings were exhibited and consequently led to a huge success. However, the “happy period” collapsed sharply in 1914 when the First World War occurred. Many people died and their families were lost, and people began to feel confused about politics and society. And they began to be interested in new forms of emotional and decadent culture. We define the new cultural scene of the 1920s as ＜Les années folles＞. The 1920s, which we call Days of Madness, have undoubtedly emotional and practically very specific nostalgia, as the meaning of the term ‘madness’ indicates. And this madness has become the germination point of modern art which expresses the moment of ‘freedom’ as a paradigm based on the feelings of the artist to find a new form of beauty.